In 1976, he saw a production of
Maxim Gorky's
The Lower Depths (Played by
Tatsuya Nakadai) and was inspired, first to watch, and then later to take part in, as many plays as possible. Lawrence Van Gelder in the New York Times called his performance "unerring."
Lost Paradise, about a double-suicide, was second only to
Princess Mononoke at the Japanese box office.
International breakthrough: Shall We Dance? Shall We Dance? was such a major hit in Japan that it inspired a domestic dance craze. Ballroom groups and dance schools multiplied in the country after the film's release, and people who previously would never admit to taking lessons announced that they did with pride. Director
Masayuki Suo said of his lead, who until that point was known mostly for playing good-looking samurai, "we thought he could play this overworked, tired Japanese businessman, and he did.... He pulled everything off and took his dance training so seriously." in 2019 Yakusho next won the
Hochi Film Award for Best Actor for
Bounce Ko Gals, a film which dealt with high school prostitution specifically, and money worship in general. He collaborated with horror director
Kiyoshi Kurosawa in
Cure,
Seance,
Charisma,
Doppelganger,
Retribution, and
Tokyo Sonata. Yakusho found further recognition with international audiences to some extent with roles in such films as
Memoirs of a Geisha and
Babel. In the latter, directed by
Alejandro González Iñárritu, he played the father of the deaf person played by
Rinko Kikuchi.
Continued success In 2009, he debuted as director of ''Toad's Oil''. In 2010 and 2011 he was part of both ensemble casts in
Takashi Miike's samurai films,
13 Assassins and
Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai. The latter was in 3D and the first 3D film to be in competition at the
Cannes Film Festival. In the 2011
war drama film
Rengō Kantai Shirei Chōkan: Yamamoto Isoroku, Yakusho portrayed Admiral
Isoroku Yamamoto. Yakusho was reportedly the only actor considered for the role; had he not accepted it, the film would have been canceled. In 2018 he was in
The Blood of Wolves. For his performance in
Perfect Days, directed by
Wim Wenders, Yakusho won
best actor at the
2023 Cannes Film Festival. In the same year, he has been selected
2023 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival’s filmmaker in focus. ==Filmography==